McManus pins on eagles Published May 9, 2014 By Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- For generations, colonels have commanded both armies and respect. Stephen McManus, 434th Air Refueling Wing staff judge advocate, was promoted to the rank of colonel in front of family, friends, colleagues and peers during a special ceremony held here at Gus Grissom Hall Aug. 25. Presiding over the special ceremony was Brig. Gen. John C. Flournoy Jr., 4th Air Force commander. The newly promoted colonel had his wife, Moira, and Flournoy pin on eagle rank insignias on his service dress coat, while his eight children put his new rank on his hat and shoulder boards on his shirt. The history of the prestigious rank dates back to around 1505, when the Spanish King Ferdinand reorganized part of his army into twenty units called colunelas. These consisted of about 1,000 to 1250 men further organized into companies with their commander being named a coronel. The French, and later the British, adopted the title, and although initially retaining the original Spanish pronunciation, the British soon used the pronunciation of 'kernel' we're familiar with today. U.S. military colonels rank above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general. The modern day insignia for a colonel is a silver eagle with a U.S. shield on its chest and holding an olive branch in one talon and a bundle of arrows in the other. The eagle insignia led to the informal term 'full bird colonel.' The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives. Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
